Grow Your Farmer's Market

Grow Your Farmer's Market

Summary

Farmers’ markets provide a low-cost practice field for farmers, allowing them to test products that they may later enter into other markets. Farmers’ markets are also an excellent way to reconnect consumers with their food system and develop community support for locally grown foods. This project will expand the awareness of the role farmers’ markets serve in developing marketing skills and promoting sustainable agriculture. Educators will gain knowledge of how to use business planning to build successful farmers’ markets. As a long-term outcome of this project, Kansans will invest in local food systems through their purchase decisions, formulation of public policies and creation of economic development plans.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. We will train farmers’ market leaders through holding six conferences over three years. Three hundred-fifty individuals will participate in the six conferences.

2. We will create mentoring partnerships between leaders and less-experienced participants to transfer knowledge. Twelve mentoring partnerships will be organized.

3. We will develop and present a business planning curriculum for farmers’ market organizers, board members, managers and community partners. Twenty-five individuals from four farmers’ markets will engage in business planning for their market.

4. Our project will focus on promoting key project activities and on recruiting participation.

Accomplishments/Milestones

1. The project has organized a conference in Kansas and Missouri. Vance Corum was our key note speaker. These conferences attracted 133 individuals.

2. Vance Corum mentored 12 individuals representing six farmers markets in Kansas and Missouri. Corum also mentored the Missouri Farmers’ Market Association. Three sessions were organized to introduce Vance to these individuals and ten phone calls were organized to extend the mentoring consultations.

3. A power point presentation has been developed with pictures of many farmers’ markets, planning tools and market research summaries. This presentation will be used in business planning workshops.

Six vendors developed a business plan for the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market. One written survey, one interview survey and two dot surveys were taken of market customers. One survey was taken of market vendors. This data was incorporated into the business plan. This plan was used to modify the board structure of the market, develop a planning partnership with the city of Lawrence and target future marketing strategies.

4. Direct mail, news articles, brochures, flyers, press releases, web site announcements, E-mail invitations and phone calls helped promote project activities.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

1. Educators will develop an awareness of the viability of farmers’ markets to cultivate entrepreneurship that markets local foods for local consumption.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they increased their awareness by 28%.

2. Educators will advance their knowledge of the role that business planning contributes to successful farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they increased their knowledge by 15%.

3. Educators will work in partnership with farmers and community stakeholders to develop farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated their commitment increased by 19% to create working partnerships. The Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market collaborated with city commissioners, government and businesses in the creation of a city task force to find an improved location for the market.

4. Educators will improve their skills in marketing through their involvement with farmers’ markets.

Impact: In a self-assessment survey, participants stated they increased their marketing skill knowledge by 34%.

5. Educators will work with public and private entities to generate funding to promote farmers’ markets.

Impact: A grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce helped develop a business plan for the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market. The project coordinator collaborated with educators at Kansas State University to secured funds from USDA’s Risk Management Agency to expand business planning with farmers’ markets across Kansas.

This project benefits the North Central region by using farmer’s markets as a business incubator for sustainable value-added products. Business planning helps educators guide farmers in developing successful businesses. Mentoring deepens the learning following conferences and business planning.